Digital Commons Network^™

Manga In Bookstores, Claire L. Curry

Student Research Symposium

In recent years, manga has seen a surge in popularity. This research seeks to provide insights into the role of manga in U.S. bookstores and its implications for reader discovery. Through observations at bookstores in the Portland area, including Books with Pictures, Kinokuniya, Powell’s, and Barnes and Noble, it was examined how manga is presented to readers. Factors considered include manga’s physical placement in the store and surrounding sections as well as shelving methods and categorizations like genre labels, particularly for manhwa, manhua, and light novels. Display tables, end caps, and shelf talkers also demonstrate an unique way for bookstores …

The Pacific Sentinel, November 2023, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Eva Sheehan

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter from the Editor
• Death Cab for Cutie Co-Headline with the Postal Service for a Twenty Year Anniversary Release
• When the Writers Come Out at Night
• Fall of the House of Usher
• A Professor's Literary Life
• Donuts & Crypto
• Seeing Static in Jane Removers' Census Designated
• What We're Enjoying
• Events Calendar & Extras

Examining The Discovery Behaviors Of Comics Consumers, Tara Mccarron

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

The comics consumer base is big and it’s only getting bigger. And yet, very little research has been done on the consumer behavior of comics reads. In order to broaden the accessibility to comics consumer research, this paper examined the discovery behavior of 56 survey participants. The survey included questions pertaining to demographics, frequency of comics consumed, genres of comics consumed, formats used to consume comics, and methods used to discover comics. Due to limited scope, this paper focused solely on format preferences, discovery preferences, and the most-popular genre preferences. Based on this research, graphic novels remained the preferred format …

Unexpected Wins: Curating Comics And Teaching Manga From The Dark Horse Comics Collection, Elsa Loftis, Jon Holt

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

A familiar staple of entertainment for a wide variety of readers, the comic book has not always held a regular place in the academic library. Concerning themselves with collecting more traditional expressions of scholarship, libraries have not historically dedicated much of their acquisitions budgets to this area. Therefore, the comic book or graphic novel was largely relegated to someone’s personal collection and would more likely be found on the shelves of a comic book store than the shelves of a university library.

Fast-forward to the present day, where library collections more commonly provide access to comic books, either in regular …

Japanese Gender Trouble In Revolutionary France: Ikeda Riyoko's Shōjo Manga The Rose Of Versailles, Saki Hirozane

Dissertations and Theses

Although traditional gender norms are reinforced by pop-culture media in Japan, some comics aimed primarily at female readers fight against those same gender norms. Shōjo manga (Japanese girls' comics) are no exception and have done so since their "revolution" in the 1970s. In the 1970s, a new wave of young female shōjo manga artists pioneered a different kind of girls' manga because they created new perspectives for their young female readers.

Ikeda Riyoko's Rose of Versailles (Berusaiyu no bara, 1972-73), set in Revolutionary-Era France, changed how Japanese women could see themselves in the 1970s. In Rose of Versailles …

Working Paper No. 56, Towards A Veblenian View Of Non-Fungible Tokens, Kamren Geist

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to establish that ideas advanced by Thorstein Veblen in his book, The Theory of the Leisure Class [1899], offer insights into nonfungible tokens. Through the evolution of technology -- aided by broad access to the internet -- the emergence of non-fungible tokens can be understood to offer the leisure class a novel form of conspicuous consumption. Enabled by expansive networks, members of the leisure class can now engage in conspicuous displays of wealth and therewith establish their status relative to members of the laboring class as well as members of the leisure class. While there exist many …

Pdxscholar Annual Report 2021, Karen Bjork, Sherry Buchanan, Bertrand Robinson, Stacey Schlatter

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report details the eleventh year of operation for PDXScholar, Portland State University's institutional repository. The report covers the period between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021.

The 2021 report highlights the continued growth of PDXScholar with over 2.7 million (2,704,624) full text downloads.

Moving From Cars To People, Kelly J. Clifton, Kristina M. Currans

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The twenty-page comic includes a dialogue, taking place in various urban settings, between characters Kelly and Kristi who are based on National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) researchers Kelly Clifton of the University of British Columbia and Kristina Currans of the University of Arizona. The two have a long history of collaboration around the data, methods, and processes used to plan for multimodal transportation impacts of new development. This short graphic synopsis is an engaging, approachable way for anyone – no matter their level of expertise in this topic – to learn about their findings.

Illustrated by PSU Master …

A Perfect Meal, Stewart Brower

Communications in Information Literacy

No abstract provided.

Woman Turned Warrior: An Analysis On The Strong Female Character Trope And The Influence It Has On Gender Stereotypes Through The Use Of Back Cover Copy, Alexandria Gonzales

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

This research paper analyzes the language of young adult fantasy back cover copy and how the language is used within the Strong Female Character trope that is often found in fantasy fiction. The paper also looks at the influence this trope has on perpetuating gender stereotypes. This was done through the use of content analysis—word frequency, gendered word analysis, and thematic coding. Gendered word analysis provides qualitative evidence for the presence of gendered language in back cover descriptions, while word frequency and thematic coding provide additional context. The research found that there is a bias toward portraying women characters with …

From Story To Research: Storying Human Experience Narratives, Emily Ford

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

This presentation discusses the qualitative research methodology narrative inquiry. It then presents some of the background theory to Coralie McCormack's storying stories approach to narrative analysis of interview transcripts. Finally, the speaker uses examples from her own research using storying stories to reflect on the relationship that power has to the particular methodology and methods discussed in the presentation. This presentation was given as part of the 2021 Institute for Research Design in Librarianship's (IRDL) Speaker Series: Thinking Critically about Research and Power.

Pdxscholar Annual Report 2020, Karen Bjork, Sherry Buchanan, David Coate, Bertrand Robinson, Stacey Schlatter

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report details the tenth year of operation for PDXScholar, Portland State University's institutional repository. The report covers the period between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020.

The 2020 report highlights the exponential growth of PDXScholar with almost 2.1 million (2,094,796) full text downloads. This is an increase of approximately 800,000 downloads from 2019, representing a 62% increase.

The report also focuses on our work to bring online new collections and to highlight research impacting our communities, academics, and personal lives.

Identifying And Connecting With Diverse Sff Readers, Denise Morales Soto

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

Science fiction and fantasy is one of the most abundant genres today, projected to gross $590.2 million in the adult fiction market in the year 2020. However, despite its growing popularity and its large reader base, it still predominantly caters to white men; something that could be detrimental to the industry. This paper aimed to show how science fiction and fantasy (SFF) publishers can learn more about their non-white reader demographic and how they can potentially increase their interaction with their diverse audiences. I conducted a study of social media interaction by compiling Twitter posts over the course of four …

The Role Of The Developmental Editor In Emerging Forms Of Narrative, Stephanie Argy

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

This research paper looks at how developmental editing techniques and analytical processes can be applied to emerging forms of storytelling. By examining a sampling of projects that expand narrative beyond traditional approaches, and talking to people involved with those projects, this paper examines how developmental editing can be used in these new forms; the skills that editors might want to add to their toolkit; and the impact that developmental editors might be able to have on projects and on new storytelling forms themselves. The paper is meant as a roadmap for next steps for what editors might want to learn …

Pdxscholar Annual Report 2016, Karen Bjork, Sherry Buchanan, David Coate, Bertrand Robinson, Stacey Schlatter

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report details the sixth year of operation for PDXScholar, Portland State University's institutional repository, as well as the growth of Portland State University Library's publishing services. The report covers the period between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016.

Print Media In The Cold War, Madeline Chu

Young Historians Conference

This investigation evaluates the degree to which print media propaganda in America reflected its anti-Communist ideologies during the early years of the Cold War. Specifically, the decade following the end of World War II in 1945 is examined. The messages, mediums, and subjects addressed of four images are analyzed in order to determine the degree to which they embody anti-Communist sentiments. These four pieces include a Time magazine cover from 1950, a comic book cover, a page of a Life magazine fashion article, and an advertisement by Radio Free Europe. Through these images, a conclusion was reached that while anti-Communist …

The Peer Network As A Context For The Socialization Of Academic Engagement, Linda Mary Newton-Curtis

Dissertations and Theses

The school environment is one of the primary contexts for children's social, emotional and cognitive development. While teachers are likely to be primarily focused on students' motivation and learning, for adolescents, one of the most enjoyable and important aspects of school life is likely to be centered around the time spent interacting with peers. It is well recognized that peers socialize one another but although many studies have examined the influence of peers on adolescents' risky behaviors far fewer have focused on the influence peers may have on individuals' positive behaviors. As a result this study focuses on academic development …

Pdxscholar Annual Report 2015, Karen Bjork, Sherry Buchanan, David Coate, Bertrand Robinson, Stacey Schlatter

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report details the fifth year of operation for PDXScholar, Portland State University's institutional repository. The report covers the period between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015.

Pdxscholar Annual Report 2014, Karen Bjork, Sherry Buchanan, David Coate, Bertrand Robinson, Stacey Schlatter

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report details the fourth year of operation for PDXScholar, Portland State University's institutional repository. The report covers the period between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014.

"Your Information Station": A Case Study Of Rural Radio In The 21st Century, William Jacob Amadeus Pinnock

Dissertations and Theses

The study examined how the introduction of high-speed internet into a rural community affected audience members' use of their local radio station. A qualitative case study was guided by uses and gratifications and niche theory. The author conducted interviews with KMMR FM audience members in Malta, Montana, to investigate how the introduction of high-speed internet impacted listener habits. Twenty participants who either listened to or produced content for KMMR FM were interviewed. The author performed a thematic analysis of different uses for the radio guided by typologies created by Rubin (1983), Palmgreen and Rayburn (1979), and Katz, Haas, and Gurevitch …

Pdxscholar Annual Report 2013, Karen Bjork

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report details the third year of operation for PDXScholar, Portland State University's institutional repository. The report covers the period between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013.

Giving Games The Old College Try, Amy R. Hofer

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

Based on evidence that games might help students get more engaged in my online class, I decided to overcome my skepticism and road-test two information literacy games. First I tried BiblioBouts, which uses the online citation management tool Zotero to integrate gaming into a research paper assignment that is already part of the course syllabus. Students have to set up Zotero accounts and log into the game’s online platform to play and see their scoreboard; the technology requirements were too much for my class and the experiment didn’t feel successful. The following year I tried a comparatively low-tech game that …

The Gamer Subculture In Lacy, Wa, Kate Washington

Anthós

Where there is culture, there is the opportunity for subculture, groups of people who create a separate identity within and often in contrast to the dominant culture of a society. In a large society, such as America, there are many cultures and subcultures. One such is the gamer subculture, people who can be identified by their affiliation to online, tabletop, collectible card and role play games. Gamers are predominantly male, but include a wide variety of ages. If there is a large enough gamer population in an area, there is often a store to support their interests. One such store …

The Case For Graphic Novels, Steven Hoover

Communications in Information Literacy

Many libraries and librarians have embraced graphic novels. A number of books, articles, and presentations have focused on the history of the medium and offered advice on building and maintaining collections, but very little attention has been given the question of how integrate graphic novels into a library's instructional efforts. This paper will explore the characteristics of graphic novels that make them a valuable resource for librarians who focus on research and information literacy instruction, identify skills and competencies that can be taught by the study of graphic novels, and will provide specific examples of how to incorporate graphic novels …

How The Dark Horse Came In: Portland State University Library Acquires Dark Horse Comics Archive, Michael S. Bowman, Cristine Paschild, Kimberly Willson-St. Clair

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article reports on the acquisition made by the Portland State University (PSU) on the archives of Dark Horse Comics Inc. The acquisition is done after PSU alumnus and founder of Dark Horse Comics Mark Richardson donated multiple copies of the past issues of their publication and succeeding copies of the publication. The donation is also for the purpose of preserving the publication in the university library. The donated publication is also expected to be used by researchers as a destination resource in popular culture, gender studies, and sequential art. Donating copies to the library, Richardson also expects to create …

Reconciling Japan And China, Mel Gurtov

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The conflict-resolution literature offers new insights to reconciling parties in conflict. This article applies that literature, along with political-science approaches, to the seemingly intractable China-Japan rivalry. Proceeding from the standpoint that China and Japan need one another, and should manage their conflict for mutual benefit, the article suggests several steps they may take—bilaterally, in multilateral settings, and in civil society—to reduce tensions and promote better understanding.

The Light On The Horizon: Imagining The Death Of American Cities, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cities in the United States have never known the direct effects of total war. Lacking this bitter experience, Americans have had to imagine the impacts of catastrophic warfare on their urban centers. This paper examines fictional depictions of future warfare as it has been imagined to affect U.S. cities, particularly since 1945. It draws on films, short stories, and novels from the "thriller," "future war," and science fiction genres to explore common assumptions and underlying attitudes about cities and city life. It finds that cities are conspicuous by their absence from such stories of future war and its impacts. Cities …

A Tale Of Two Conferences – Cuba Style, Gretta E. Siegel

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

The past few years have seen a marked increase in the level of interest about libraries in Cuba. Twelve years ago, a rare glimpse was given in an American Libraries article which piqued some peoples interest, but travel restrictions at that time left many interested in visiting but having no way to do so. However, a relaxing of travel restrictions under the Clinton administration permitted "people to people" and cultural exchanges, thus allowing more people to get a look at this country through formal tours. Several successful library tours were organized and led by people such as Rhonda Neugebauer from …

Disability And Monstrosity: Further Comments, Hanoch Livneh

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The author discusses possible explanations for stereotypical and negative reactions toward physically disabled persons in literature and society. Cited are examples of physical deformity, animalism, and monstrosity. The reminder of mortality and fallibility produced by disability is considered.

"Address To Faculty And Students", Timothy Francis Leary

Special Collections: Oregon Public Speakers

Dr. Leary's first speech at Portland State University was ten years prior to this date. The recording of his 1967 talk was stolen from the Portland State library.